Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
The Lord’s definition of joy and peace differs from the world’s definition. For the world, joy and peace come through emotions and experiences. To them, peace is the cessation of evil and living life however one sees fit, which brings joy—that none can tell us how to live and we are entitled to whatever we claim. They call this “freedom,” but it is actually lawlessness.. For the Lord, our joy and peace come in our believing the Gospel. The Gospel brings us peace—or reconciliation—with God, and so teaches us to be content with what the Lord gives us in this life. And the Gospel brings us joy—joy that we have assurance of salvation in Christ alone no matter what the world tells us. Moreover, this joy and peace of the Lord continually gives us hope in Him, wrought about by the Holy Spirit. For the joy of salvation and peace of reconciliation we have with God through Christ is our continual hope worked in us by the Holy Spirit.
